Two world records for China, four more fall at Glasgow 2015

“It’s amazing, it’s a great reward for giving my best and 100 per cent here.”

Chinese swimmers delivered two new world records at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, Great Britain, on Saturday (18 July), as four more world records were broken on the penultimate day of competition.

World and Paralympic champion Tao Zheng (1:12.94) stunned the crowds by lowering his own mark in the men’s 100m backstroke S6, a time that has stood since he won gold at London 2012. It is the ‘armless swimmer’s’ second gold of Glasgow 2015.

Brazilian Talisson Glock (1:13.52) set a new Americas record to take silver. Ukrainian Iaroslav Semenenko sealed the bronze (1:14.93).

Zheng’s Paralympic champion teammate Yang Yang (4:17.86) also set a new world best in the men’s 200m freestyle S3. Yang pulled Russian silver medallist Dmitrii Kokarev (4:21.94) to a new European record. Ukraine’s Serhii Palamarchuk (4:26.81) was third.

Now 13-time world champion Belarusian Ihar Boki (50.85) was also in world breaking form once again in the men’s 100m freestyle S13. It was Boki’s fifth gold medal - and second new world best - of the week.

Ukraine’s Iaroslav Denysenko (51.85) and Russia’s Aleksandr Golintovskii (53.19) won silver and bronze respectively.

Sweden’s world and Paralympic champion Maja Reichard (1:27.24) improved on her world record in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB11, as she did at the World Championships in 2013.

“It’s so nice, I’m so happy,” Reichard said. “I came here to swim a good breaststroke and that’s what I did, so I’m so satisfied with the situation.”

Ukraine’s Yana Berezhna (1:29.49) was second, whilst Argentina picked up their first medal of Glasgow 2015 with bronze for Nadia Baez (1:34.29).

The Netherlands’ Lisette Teunissen (51.23) set another new world record in the women’s 50m backstroke S3, her second of the competition. Teunissen saw off Chinese silver medallist Guofen Meng (53.04), who finished in an Asian record time. Ukrainian 2013 champion Olga Sviderska (57.12) was third.

“I am so happy. I wanted to do that in the final,” Teunissen said. “Two golds with two world records, can’t be better!”

The Russian (4:06.69) men’s 4x100m medley relay 34 points shaved more than two seconds off the previous world best set by China at London 2012. Konstantin Lisenkov, Andrei Kalina, Dmitry Grigoryev and Denis Tarasov eased to gold ahead of China (4:14.09) and Ukraine (4:18.25).

Norway’s multiple world champion Sarah-Louise Rung set two new Championships records to take an incredible double gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB4 (1:44.83), and the women’s 200m individual medley SM5 (3:19.83) in the space of just 40 minutes.

“It’s been a hard day for me – two events very close together – but I’m pleased with my results in the heats and the finals,” Rung said. “I have swam better and better towards the end of the week so I’m hoping I swim better in freestyle tomorrow.”

Italy’s Ghiretti Giulia (1:54.60) and Belarus’ Natalia Shavel (2:00.79) rounded-off the podium in the 100m breaststroke.

In the 200m individual medley, Israel’s Inbal Pezaro (3:36.23) was second whilst Spain’s Teresa Perales (3:41.18) took bronze.

Brazilian Daniel Dias kept his clean sheet intact in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB4, winning his sixth gold medal in as many days. Dias (1:36.54) was behind by more than three seconds on the first touch, but managed to reel in the rest of the field and resist a last minute surge from Greek silver medallist Antonios Tsapatakis (1:36.75).

Dias said: “I am very happy with this gold medal. The race in the morning felt like it was going to be a great final and it was. No doubt it was the closest race I’ve ever had, and at such a high performance event like this, the gold medal is going to be defined by just one touch.”

Spain’s Ricardo Ten (1:39.90) finished with bronze.

Ying Zhang (1:23.33) continued a great evening for China, touching in for a new Asian record in the women’s 100m backstroke S7. New Zealand’s Rebecca Dubber (1:23.98) was not far away for silver and the USA’s Cortney Jordan (1:24.90) took away her fifth medal with bronze.

Zhang’s world champion compatriot Dong Lu (1:25.81) set a new Championships record in the women’s 100m backstroke S6. Ukrainian Oksana Khrul (1:26.83) and Russia’s Anastasia Diodorova (1:27.75) completed the podium.

Great Britain’s Tully Kearney (4:39.29) put in a European record performance to win her second gold in the women’s 400m freestyle S9, delighting the home support. Spain’s Nuria Marques Soto (4:49.47) was second and the Netherlands’ Manon Vermarien (4:53.80) third.

Kearney’s teammate Hannah Russell (27.51) impressed in the women’s 50m freestyle S12, just edging Russian 2013 world champion Darya Stukalova (27.53) to the wall. Germany’s Naomi Maike Schnittger (28.29) took bronze.

“I thought that I did have the speed, so it was going to be a very tight race tonight I knew that,” Russell said. “0.02 – you can’t get any closer than that, so I’m really, really happy.”

Japan’s Keichi Kimura (1:14.04) kept his world title in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB11, and also took the Championships best time. The USA’s Tharon Drake (1:15.26) and Ukrainian Oleksandr Mashchenko (1:16.49) sealed silver and bronze respectively.

Ukrainian Anna Stetsenko (58.91) finally made it onto the top of the podium in the women’s 100m freestyle S13 with a new Championships record, having already secured a series of silver and bronze medals. Great Britain’s Hannah Russell (59.26) won her second medal of the night in silver with Russian Darya Stukalova (59.44) completing the top three.

Stetsenko’s world champion teammate Dmytro Vynohradets (47.63) was also in record-breaking form, bringing down the Championships mark in the men’s 50m backstroke S3. Italian Vincenzo Boni (48.41) took his third medal in as many races with silver and Russian Alexander Makarov (51.74) took bronze.

The world’s fastest Paralympian and world champion Maksym Veraksa (23.92) won Ukraine’s third gold of the evening in the men’s 50m freestyle S12. Azerbaijani brothers Raman (24.39) and Dzmitry Salei (24.46) took silver and bronze respectively.

Brazilian Andre Brasil (51.15) took victory in the men’s 100m freestyle S10, winning his third medal from an outside lane. His compatriot Phelipe Rodrigues (52.25) did have a strong last 25m, but it was not enough and he settled for silver. Canadian Nathan Stein (53.29) took bronze.

“It’s amazing, it’s a great reward for giving my best and 100 per cent here,” Brasil said.

New Zealand’s world and Paralympic champion Sophie Pascoe (1:00.16) held on for gold in an incredibly close women’s 100m freestyle S10 final, ahead of Canada’s Aurelie Rivard (1:00.25). Rivard’s time is a second Americas record in one day for the 19-year-old. Dutch speedster Summer Mortimer (1:01.24) was third.

“Everyone has stepped their game up on the way into Rio,” Pascoe said. “It was about going out there and winning at these games, world records will come with training. I could see her [Rivard] at the last 10m and I thought ‘just go for it’ and I even broke a nail!”

Pascoe also paid tribute to her coach who is missing out on a competition for the first time in 15 years due to illness.

Australia’s Brendan Hall (4:15.03) retained his world title in the men’s 400m freestyle S9, to seal his second gold of the week. Italy’s Federico Morlacchi (4:17.50) swam to silver and there was delight for 2016 Euros hosts Portugal, as David Grachat (4:23.79) got onto the podium.

Hall’s teammate Maddison Elliott (1:17.93) beat multiple world and Paralympic gold medallists Jessica Long (1:19.07) of the USA and Russian Oleysa Vladykina (1:19.79) in the women’s 100m backstroke S8.

Russian 18-year-old Andrei Gladkov (1:09.70) picked up his second gold in the men’s 100m backstroke S7 to improve on his silver from 2013. Ukrainian Marian Kvasntysia (1:13.16) and Brazil’s Italo Pereiro (1:15.00) were second and third respectively.

World and Paralympic champion Konstantin Lisenkov (1:05.81) just touched in for his second gold of the Championships ahead of Ukrainian Iurii Bozhynskyi (1:05.94) in the men's 100m backstroke S8. Great Britain’s Oliver Hynd (1:06.08) maintained his 100 per cent podium record in his last outing for bronze.

At the end of the penultimate day of competition, Russia have strengthened their lead at the top of the table with 55 medals, including 24 gold. Ukraine have the same total, but have increased to 20 golds. The USA are third with 27 medals with 11 golds.

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The 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, which run until 19 July, will feature around 580 athletes from nearly 70 countries and will be one of the biggest qualification opportunities for Rio 2016.

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